Lamb Ragout Ravioli Supreme

This is a most extraordinary taste experience because of the intensity of the lamb and the wonderful reduction of flavors that happens when the tough shoulder cut is slow cooked for hours. We used Meadow Book lamb that was boneless. Bone-in will work, but the cooking will take longer.

serves 6-8

Ingredients

Ragout:

2.5 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, cubed to abt. 1 in.

1 L onion, chopped

1 head garlic, rough cut

1/2 c. red wine (I used a Merlot.)

4 sprigs fresh rosemary prepared in 2 sachets

2 T olive oil

salt

Pasta
3 c. white flour

4 eggs

2-4 T heavy cream

Garnish

2T salted butter

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

3T finely chopped fresh mint

Directions
Ragout:

1. Heat oil in heavy pot to hot. Add lamb cubes and brown for 5-10 min. Remove from pot.


2. Add onion and garlic to oil. Cook onions until soft, reduce and cook for 10-15 min.


3. Return lamb to pot. Add wine and 1 rosemary sachet. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer.


4. Let braise for at least 3 hours. Add liquid as needed to keep it from sticking. The idea is to have only a small amount of liquid but to keep it cooking on low.


5. After an hour and again in another half hour, shred the cubes of meat by using two forks to rip each piece in two.


6. About halfway through, take out the first rosemary sachet and put in the second one.


7. At then end, adjust with salt.

Pasta:
Make in two batches

1. Take 1 1/2 c. flour and heap in a pile on work surface.


2. Make a well in the middle.


3. Crack and add one egg to the middle of the well.


4. Use a fork to very slowly incorporate egg into flour.


5. Make another well, add the second egg, and do the same thing.


6. Add abt. 2 T heavy cream to flour.


7. Knead with your hands for a long time--7-10 min.--until the dough is elastic and bouncy in all directions.


8. Cover with plastic.


9. Repeat above for the second half.


10. Wrap both dough balls in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

Assembling the Ravioli

1. Put on a large pot of salted water to boil.


2. Take one dough ball and roll out to thickness of about 1/16-1/8 in. To do this, roll, lightly flour dough surface, then flip at least 8-10 times.


3. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut a strip of dough about 2 1/2 in.


4. Place 1T of lamb ragout every 3 or so inches down the strip.


5. Cut another 2 /12 in. strip slightly longer. Place it on top, pressing down between the mounds of ragout to seal the dough.


6. Cut into square individual raviolis.


7. Crimp edges with a fork dipped in water.


8. Place on a plate sprinkled with corn meal and layer with corn meal between each layer to prevent sticking.


9. Immerse ravioli in boiling water. Let boil for at least 1:45. Test for tenderness

Service

1. Barely melt 2T butter.


2. Place ravioli in one large layer or two if needed on a large platter.


3. Drizzle melted butter over, then sprinkle on Parmesan followed by mint.

Basics: Red Pasta Sauce

This is a basics recipe. It's a great simple sauce that's good on plain boiled pasta or easily combined with other things.

Ingredients:

olive oil, 3T
onion, 1 L, halved and thinly sliced (about 5 c. loosely packed)
garlic, 4 cloves, minced
1 T each of dried:
basil
oregano
thyme
crushed tomatoes, 24 oz. can
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil to hot. Add the onions and 1/2 t salt. Cook until soft and translucent. Turn heat to low.
2. Add garlic, and all dried herbs. Heat through then let cook on low for 3-4 min. to sweeten the onions.
3. Turn heat to high and add crushed tomatoes. Bring to bubbling, then turn heat down to simmer.
4. Let simmer for at least 10 min. and up to a half hour, adding water if it gets so thick that it's bubbling out of the pan a lot.

Serve over cooked pasta. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and/or chopped Kalamata olives and/or chopped fresh basil.

Basics: Hamburger with Beef Bacon & Onions

This is a basics recipe for beginning cooks. It deals with basic foods and has more directions.

This recipe is a twist on the basic hamburger so that it has "supercharged" flavor. The key is the beef bacon. I've only ever seen it at Reineer Farms stand when they sell on Rittenhouse Square on Saturdays. Beef bacon is a fatty cut of beef that's been cured. It doesn't produce as much fat as pork bacon, but the fat is extremely flavorful. If you can't get it, I think you could substitute about half as much pork bacon. You'll never want another hamburger!
Serves: 4

Equipment:
large, sharp knife
cutting board
measuring spoons
10-14 in. diameter skillet
spatula

Ingredients:
ground beef, 1 lb.
beef bacon, 4 oz. (substitute pork bacon, 2 oz.)
onion, 1 medium
olive oil, 2 Tablespoons

Directions:

1. Slice the onion in half through the stem end. Cut off the stem end and tip of each half--about 1/4 in. slice. Discard. With a paring knife or your fingers, peel off the outer skin of the onion. Place the onion flat side down on the board. With a large sharp knife, cut thin slices, starting at the stem or tip and working down. It should come off in half-circle thin pieces.
2. In a large skillet (I like 14" diameter, but 12 or 10 will do), turn the heat on high and add 2 T olive oil to the pan. Wait about a minute for it to heat up. Add the onions. They should sizzle.
3. Slowly stir the onions with a spatula for about three minutes or until the onions are translucent and soft. Lower the heat to its lowest setting. Let onions cook (caramelize) for about five minutes, stirring every minute or so.
4. Meanwhile, dice your bacon into pieces about 1/4 in. on a side. The easiest way is to first cut in into 2 in. pieces. Stack the pieces and then cut them the long way into strips about 1/4 in. wide, probably about three or four strips. Line up the strips and cut across all of them at once, 1/4 in. at a time. Each cut will give you 1/4 in. squares. (It really doesn't matter if they're not exactly 1/4 in. or all the same size.)
5. After the onions are caramelized, push them out the the edges of the pan, leaving the center open. Put the bacon pieces in the center and turn the heat to medium. Let them sit there for a minute, then stir them. Keep stirring them occasionally (every minute or so) until the fat part of the pieces is translucent (probably 4 minutes.) Now stir them together with the onions and cook for another minute.
6. While the bacon is cooking, make your beef patties. Divide your pound of ground beef into 4 sections. Roll each section into a ball. Flatten the ball in your hand so that the center is about 1/2 in. thick. For the edges to be roundish.
7. When your bacon and onions are cooked, push them out to the sides of the pan (or remove them to a bowl if there isn't space). Make a clearing in the center big enough for the patties. Put the heat on high and add the patties.
8. After 2 min. on one side, flip the patties and turn the heat to medium. Cook for another 3 minutes. You can cut into one to see if it's done. It can be pink in the middle, but NOT translucent and wet looking (that's raw). If you like them well done, flip again and cook another 3 min.
9. When your burgers are done, add the onion & bacon if you took it out. Serve each burger on a plate and top with a generous dollop of onion and bacon. Add ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste. (May take less salt than you think because the bacon has a lot of salt in it.)

Enjoy!

Chicken-Apple Sausage with Bow Tie Pasta and Balsamic-Apple Reduction

This recipe is basically a meat and pasta mix, but the critical part that made it worth repeating is the reduced Balsamic vinegar with minced dried apple. That's a great binder and flavor combination with the sausaage. Made this a few weeks ago, but think I remember it.
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Chicken Apple Sausage Links, 24 oz. sliced as thinly as possible. (I used a local frozen product from Fair Foods. Was eight pieces and very moist.)

olive oil, 2 T
onion, 1 L, thinly sliced
dried bow tie pasta, 1 lb.
Balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c.
dried apple, 2T minced
peanuts, roasted and unsalted, 1/3 c.
Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/4 c.
basil, fresh, 4-5 leaves minced.
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Set a pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Cook it until al dente and drain.


2. While pasta is cooking, slice and saute onions in a skillet. Let onions caramelize.


3. Put Balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Turn to simmer. Add 1 T of minced apple and reserve rest for garnish. Simmer vinegar until reduced by half so only 2 T remain.


4. Meanwhile, add sausage to onions and heat on medium to high until sausage cooked through. Add another T of oil if seems dry.


5. Add the reduced vinegar and mix in. Reduce heat.


6. One cooking spoon at a time, add cooked pasta and mix in. When all of the pasta is mixed in, add salt and pepper to taste (probably at least 1/2 t of salt).


7. Serve in bowls and garnish with two pinches each of minced apple, minced basil, and grated Parmesan.

Polenta and Black Bean Stuffed Pablanos with Peach Salsa

This was a recipe inspired by a suggestion from the checker at Fair Foods when we were talking about how beautiful the local chile pablanos were. She said friends grilled them and stuffed them with polenta and black beans. I had to try it. The result was a great summer hot day dish.
I made this for two but the recipe is for 8--two peppers each.

Ingredients
chile pablanos, 8

Stuffing
dry black beans, 2 c or equivalent for canned beans
olive oil, 2T
white onion, 1 med, sliced
garlic, 2 cl, minced
cumin, 1t
prepared red salsa (I used Trader Joe's), about 1 c
water or broth, about 1 cup total
dry polenta, about 1.5 cups
water or stock, enough to follow package directions
Parmesan, grated, about 1/2 cup
butter, about 1T

Salsa
white onion, 1 med, chopped
olive oil, 3T (I used 1T olive oil and 2T of a slow-cooked pureed garlic in oil. You can substitute 3 med cloves fresh garlic instead.)
garlic, 3 med cloves, finely minced
jalapeno pepper, 1, finely minced (I used 1/2 but it needed more.)
tomato in season, about 1.5c diced; (For out-of-season, I would use canned Muir Glen oven roasted diced tomato.)
ripe peach, 1 med, peeled and diced
cilantro, 1/4 c chopped
(optional) baby tomatillas, whole with paper skins removed. (I happened to get these in the market. They were tiny--about 1/2 in. diameter or smaller--and very sweet. You could substitute regular tomatillas chopped small, but then add more peach because the tomitillas will be sour. You could also use grape tomatoes quartered instead of the tomatillas if you want to add sweetness.)

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Wonderful Winter Pizza

Though we're in the beginning of spring, this was a dish I first made in winter with mostly local ingredients. The key is the lamb sausage with spinach and feta from Jamison's Farm. You could use another sausage with some feta and spinach in it (such as chicken) or use a hearty Italian, but the Jamison's lamb really makes the dish. I get it at Fair Foods Farm Stand (of course.)

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:
about 1 lb. lamb sausage with feta and spinach, sliced as thinly as possible. (Easier to do if the sausage is still a little frozen.)
3 med. onions, thinly sliced
about 1/4 c. sherry or white wine (could use water if not on hand)
garlic--either 1 head or 1/4 c. garlic scape tapenade if available (spring/summer thing); garlic finely minced
1/3 c. olive oil + 4T
4 oz. feta cheese
1 whole wheat pizza dough (for 18 in. standard pizza)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F

1. Combine the garlic with the 1/3 cup of oil. (I had an old jar of garlic scape tapenade--just crushed scapes in oil really--that was still good from summer. Used that once and it was awesome.) Let sit while you do the rest of the prep.
2. Slice your onions and saute them in 3 T olive oil on high; when soft reduce heat to low and caramelize for at least 10 min. Occasionally (2 or 3 times) deglaze the pan with sherry or wine or water. Just enough liquid to loosen whatever's sticking.
3. In 1 T of oil, saute sausage on med to low heat, stirring occasionally. Best if in cast iron skillet. Cook until all liquid is gone from pan and sausage is getting a little crispy.
4. While your onions and sausage are cooking, work on rolling out your pizza dough (or get someone to help you with it.)
5. When the pizza dough is spread, sprinkle corn meal on your pizza pan or cookie sheet and then put the rolled dough on it.
6. Using a brush, cover the pizza dough with the oil-garlic mixture. If you need to, spoon out the garlic and spread it. Don't just use the oil.
7. Spread the cooked onions across the pizza.
8. Spread the cooked sausage across the pizza.
9. Crumble the feta cheese across it evenly.
10. Place pizza in oven and cook until edge of crust is nicely brown -- around 10 min.

Let cool slightly. I usually serve it with a local hothouse greens (in winter) with a Balsamic vinaigrette. The pizza is quite rich and 1-2 pieces is plenty for a serving, assuming 8 pieces from the pie.

Crispy Pork Delight

This was basically a leftover with meat dish, but turned out so well, I had to write it down. All of the ingredients except the rice, sauces and oil are local.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork (I used coarsely ground)
2/3 c. cooked short grain brown rice (Short grain makes a difference, but you could use long.)
1 egg
1/2 c. minced leek
3 T soy sauce
1 t mirin
enough vegetable oil to cover pan about 1/8 in. deep

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the port and rice. I use my hands for this. Messy but effective.
2. Add the egg and combine that in as well.
3. Add the leek, soy, and mirin. Add some salt and pepper (few shakes each) and combine.
4. Make small patties from the mixture--about 2 in. across and about 1/3 in. thick is good, but any shape will do.
5. Heat oil in pan to almost smoking. Add patties and fry until crispy on one side. Flip and cook the other side until crispy. Take one out and break it in half to check for doneness. If at all pink, flip again and cook another minute or so.

This dish is great with some local cabbage sliced up and dressed with a simple Balsamic vinaigrette. If you have some baked sweet potatoes, that's a great complement as well.

--JAH